Pursue your dream, not theirs

Reflections on a Year of Just Rolling with It – Year 1

2015 marked the first full year of me jumping head first into my Just Rolling with It journey. Just Rolling with It is a journey I am taking to reboot my life and career as an entrepreneur. I'm doing this to become happier for myself, my ﻿family and others.

Principles of mindful wellness form the foundation of this approach. I’m exploring, discovering and using these principles as guides along my path. They've proven to be valuable guides as the path continues to unfold in front of me.

This blog is my place to share these principles of mindful wellness with other entrepreneurs. My hope is that these principles may benefit you on your own journey.

I’ve come to believe it’s important to pause and reflect on this journey to —

While counterintuitive to entrepreneurs, can be of great benefit to us.

Resting, resetting, recharging and redirecting are reminders to ease off the accelerator. These reminders help me let the "being inform the doing" and resist the urge to pursue fixed outcomes.

The benefits of allowing positive changes to sink into my consciousness hit home after reading Buddha’s Brain, by Dr. Rick Hanson. Dr. Hanson provides evidence based on neuroscience to explain how taking the time to pause, allowing positive changes to sink into our brains, helps rewire our brains to provide lasting and positive changes. This happens by helping to counter the negativity bias that exists within our brains.

With that as an introduction, here’s what I’ve learned in this first full year of Just Rolling with It —

3 - Voices from the past get loud on the Just Rolling with It journey

I find myself fighting back the voices of my past conditioning. These voices assault me on a daily basis, asking things like —

Don’t you think starting the Just Rolling with It journey was a HUGE mistake?

Isn’t it irresponsible to keep rolling on this journey?

When are you going to get back the “real” world?

4 — Just Rolling with It takes time

I originally thought I’d get through what I call the messy middle ground in a month or two. I told myself that my new path would begin to materialize in a comfortable way after a short period of discomfort.

Wrong.

It turns out that a year later I’m still in the messy middle ground. I’ve gone further out on the edge than I ever expected would be necessary and way past my comfort zone.

I’m seeing and feeling positive and tangible signs of my new path beginning to emerge. Even so, the journey is far from comfortable. It’s becoming clear to me that this journey will take years and not months.

It’s also feeling really, really good. Taking the risk to open up and connect has allowed me to receive the support I need to make Just Rolling with It work.

I recall a quote I heard by Pema Chodron. Her work has also been a big influence on my Just Rolling with It journey. She says that once we begin to open ourselves to the world, we begin to find that the world becomes a friendlier place.

I'm truly starting to experience and believe this.

The blog itself has also been a fantastic vehicle for connection. It’s allowed me to connect with like-minded people. The response to the ideas I publish has been phenomenal. For this I’m truly grateful.

My main goal for the blog in 2016 is to strengthen the community that's beginning to form around Just Rolling with It.

I hope to do this by continuing to build the connections between me and my readers and among my readers as well.

7 — Just Rolling with It WORKS!

So guess what else I’ve discovered?

Just Rolling with It WORKS!

It does and I‘m feeling happy, hopeful and optimistic to discover and believe this.

How do I know Just Rolling with It works?

I’ll discuss the benefits I’ve started to experience and enjoy along my Just Rolling with It journey in my next post.

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About Chris

Chris is a dad, husband, entrepreneur & cyclist who meditates. He's learning to live mindfully productive and well, while hoping to help others do the same. Chris lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, son and Afghan Hound.